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Danielle Daley
English: 4 th
Period
Dr. Drummond
February 6, 2009
The Mission, is about Jesuits who travel to South America, hoping that they can convert the Indians of that region to Christianity. They do this by gaining the Indians’ trust, and learning about their culture. However, as the movie continues, the Jesuits have trouble completing their goal because of the growing slave trade in South America.
The movie revolves around Rodrigo Mendoza, at one point a ruthless slave trader, played by Robert De Niro, and Father Gabriel, a Jesuit, played by Jeremy Irons. Mendoza considers the idea of suicide when he kills his brother, who had an affair with his wife.
As the director, Roland Joffe states in the director’s cut, Mendoza struggles with the concept of gold. Is it material things or is it peace-of- mind? Therefore, Father Gabriel embraces Mendoza, and encourages him to help in constructing a mission for the Guarani
Indians in South America. At the mission, Mendoza becomes a priest and later helps the
Guarani protect the mission, their home.
The Mission articulates the idea that music is a major part of cultures. The characters in the movie do less conversing than in other movies, and the director integrates more music. Despite all the confrontation between the Spaniards, Portuguese,
Jesuits and the South American Indians, music is a common point between them. Music and instruments appear several times in the movie.
The story begins when Father Gabriel plays an oboe in the middle of the misty jungle, amongst the sounds of squawking birds and rustling of leaves. The camera pans the tree tops of the jungle and the mountains while the music is being played. This

Daley 2 suggests that the melodious tune can be heard from every part of the jungle. The Indians are scattered amongst the trees and plants, listening to the Father Gabriel, while he intently plays his instrument. The camera is shot from the point of the view of the
Indians, where the framing includes leaves and trees trunks. It is apparent the Indians are hiding, and they are prepared to defend themselves with their bows and arrows in hand.
The Indians might also be afraid of Father Gabriel and the strange and unfamiliar sound the instrument is producing.
As the Father Gabriel continues to play the oboe, a crack of a branch, brings to his attention that he is being watched. The camera shifts to an Indian who appears to be ready to attack. Father Gabriel looks frightened but continues to play his music. As the camera zooms out, more and more Indians come from behind the vegetation with their bows drawn. However, they loosen their grips on their bows and sit on the river rocks, enticed by the melody. Then an Indian breaks Father Gabriel’s instrument and stomps away very agitated. Wanting to hear more music, another Indian tries to put the instrument back together, but Father Gabriel shakes his head in disappointment. As the scene concludes the Indians talk in their native language and they come to a consensus, that Father Gabriel didn’t come there to hurt them. Altamirano, the movie’s narrator, is played by Ray McAnally and he states, “With an orchestra the Jesuits could subdue the whole continent.” This scene implies that with music, violence can be avoided. Music is something that evokes peace when there is confrontation.
Later on in the movie, after Mendoza lives with the Guarani tribe and starts constructing the mission, he becomes an official Jesuit. During the ceremony, the director incorporates a combination of tribal drums and classical music, as non- diegetic sounds.

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At this point in the movie, Mendoza is no longer a slave trader; he wants to help protect the Guarani in the mission. Unlike in previous scenes in the movie, there is a combination of the two cultures’ music. This style of music represents the official change in the Mendoza’s character. Mendoza is no longer a threat to the Indians and he is willing to do anything in his power to defend them. This scene not only focuses on Mendoza, but the director uses rack focus between the Indians cheering in the background and the
Jesuits congratulating Mendoza for his accomplishment. This technique shows the connection between the Indians and Jesuits. Both the music and the filming techniques in this scene show the relation between the two cultures. There is no longer conflict between
Mendoza and the Guarani tribe.
As the story comes to a conclusion, the camera pans the destruction of the mission form the perspective of a young Guarani girl. In the following scene a violin, a gold candle stick holder and other broken objects are floating in the water and scattered along bank of the river. With out hesitation, the girl carefully picks up the damaged violin.
This scene once again stresses the power of music, when there is pain and distress.
Music and the instruments did most of the “talking” when the characters were just silently interacting. Music is a universal sign of peace after there has been pain or discomfort.

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